Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-10
REN6RKABLE EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC
CONFIDENCE.

Californians priae themselves upon their
independence They boast Of the spirit
with which they resist imposition. Yet in
Sact they daily hourly submit with the
most confding trustfulness to a system that
may deprive them Of an exceedingly large
percentage Of their income.
Some oneremarked in recent meeting
of the Improvement Association that there
is woeful lack of confidence by the people
in the people. 1t was a false judgment
in no othez State in the Union is there
such exhibition of absolute, unlimited reli-
ance upon human honesty as among the
people of this State Millions of dollars
change hands daily in this State upon the
basis of weights and measures, yet though
we have fifty-three sealers of weights and
measures, not one of them in decade has
been called upon to exercise the functions
Of the Office.
The Political Code establishes an exact
and simple system of weights and meas
uTes, conformable to that set up by Con-
gress, and has provided admirably made
test weights and test measures stamped as
standard, which are within the reach of
all the people, but no one uses them. The
Penal Code affixes a penalty for selling
any article short in weight or in measure
yet as matter of fact prosecution under
the law has not been had in many years, if
ever.
So lax and easy-going are we, that our
laws do not even provide for the official
examination of scales or liquid measure
vessels except by consent of the seller of
merchandise. That is to say, if the mer-
chant chooses, he can have his scales and
measures officially stamped, but not other
wise can they be interfered with.
Whoever buys pound of sugar, a roll of
butter, a ton of coal, a bale Of hay, pint
of oil, quart of milk, gallon of wine or
anything by bushel, pound or liquid meas
ure, if he reflects moment, must realize
that he reposes entire trust in the seller
and in the scale and. measure maker He
may be cheated 10, IS, 20 or % per cent
before his very eyes and is helpless to pro-
tect himself, except in the matter of foot
and yard measures, which anyone may test.
But all other standards are in the Office of
the Secretary OF State and of the several
County Clerks, where they have remained
afnnuo1 that 1,a ~,
Gals will find difficulty in unearthing them
from the dust of decades.
Chinese peddlers largely supply the peo-
pie of towns and cities with vegetable food,
and though these vendors are cheats by ma
ture, and conceive it to be solemn duty
TO spoil the Christian, the confding eau
casian trusts to the deceptive spring scales
Of the heather with abiding confidence in
their correctness. Indeed, such perfect re-
pose Of confidence as buyers place in sellers
in this State is the most marvellous ex-
ample of human trust in modern records.
There is no reason whatever, except such
as arises out Of innate honesty, why any re-
taller should be at all affected by Auctua-
tons Of the market, since he can equalize
them with perfect IMMUNITY by adjustment
of his weights and measures. Ii is not
going too far to say that among so many
there must be very considerable number
who avail themselves of the opportunity.
a merchant of this city, spoken to upon
I 10 cub,aat ro,,iinA hot h. ,I Ill
there were halfdozen scales in any COM
munity that would weigh equally, and we
venture the assertion that not one in six
is absolutely accurate according to the
standard set up by the State, and this may
be true without the knowledge of the re-
taller, since he accepts his scales from
makers who are numbered by the
hundreds. In the simple article of roll
butter it is well-known fact that
there is conventional shortage Of from one
to two ounces on the pound. In this arti-
Gle, however, little harm is done by the
variance from the standard, since it is so
fully acknowledged that the price is adj
justed accordingly and rolls guaranteed
full weight" are not infrequently put
upon the market by manufacturers at
higher rate and the full weight" given as a
reason for the advance. This full weight"
guarantee, so freely advertised in price
lists, is in itself q frank confession on the
part Of the manufacturing and retail world
that shortage Of weight is so common as to
make 81 full weight" guarantees induce
ments 10 purchase.
The city Of Chicago recently set a sealer
of weights and measures ut work TO dis
cover to Shat extent the people were
feeeed by unscrupulous dealers. As re-
suit, he has had large number of weight
and measure men before the Courts, and
they Lave all been convicted and pun
Ished lie discovered that it is a very
easy matter for the butcher or grocer to
make the dial-plate of the circular spring
scales respond to very small-sized parcels
with large-sized announcements. He found
that the weights and measures in use in
the Garden City very rarely Tailed witt!
the true ounce or pound or gill or gallon.
In many cases he discovered that eleven
ounces avoiraupois hare made
pound in Chicago for years.
and that the percentage of gain to the
retailer and the aggregate %f loss the
buyer, in consequence, have run up into
scores of millions of dollars. He dis
covered that pint and a half answered
fora quart in many cases, that TIE peak
fell short nearly third and the basshel a
fourth. The milkman he found often used
short measures rs well as the hydraalts.
Not few measures were discovered With
false bottoms. Spiral-spring balances were
seldom correct, and where old, had lost
elasticity, and showed the weight he
low standard and several pounds greatly
short OF truth. Some were found with a /
secret scr w by a turn of which the dis